2023 REWIND: From a Swift takeover of the NFL to chaos on Capitol Hill and more
As history books close the chapter on 2023, Fox News Digital takes a look at the biggest news headlines of the year.
Another trip around the sun brought unprecedented political plays, a Hollywood holdout, war in the Middle East and an economic boom from a world-famous pop singer.
Kevin McCarthy elected House speaker
California Rep. Kevin McCarthy, a Republican, was elected speaker of the House of Representatives Jan. 7, 2023, after 15 floor votes. The fight to elect the speaker was unprecedented. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
California Rep. Kevin McCarthy, a Republican, was elected speaker of the House of Representatives in January after an unprecedented 15 floor votes. In negotiations to clear a path to victory, McCarthy agreed to allow a single lawmaker to make a motion to elect a new speaker, returning to the way the House ran for decades before that practice was eliminated under former Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
‘OUR GOVERNMENT IS A BUST’: AMERICANS WEIGH IN ON FIGHT TO ELECT SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE
‘Godfather of AI’ quits Google
Geoffery Hinton, an artificial intelligence pioneer known as the "Godfather of AI," announced in May he had quit his job at Google to voice his concerns about the rapidly evolving technology. Hinton’s work serves as the foundation for AI models like ChatGPT.
"It is hard to see how you can prevent the bad actors from using it for bad things," Hinton said in a statement to The New York Times.
Hollywood goes on strike
SAG-AFTRA members strike at Times Square Aug. 10, 2023 in New York City. (Zamek/VIEWpress)
Hollywood writers and actors went on strike for months in 2023, shutting down productions and delaying some blockbuster titles until 2025. AI and streaming were major factors in protracted negotiations with studios. The Writers Guild of America went back to work in September, and the Screen Actors Guild followed suit in November.
‘SPOILED’ HOLLYWOOD ACTORS SHOULD GET BACK TO WORK, SAYS ONE REP, AS CONGRESS WRANGLES AI CONCERNS
Crisis at the border
Fox News drone video shows a group of about 2,200 migrants who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border to Eagle Pass, Texas, earlier this year. (Fox News)
Record-high numbers of illegal immigrants crossed the southern border in 2023. There were 242,418 migrant encounters at the border in November, the highest number for a November on record and the third-highest month ever, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Titan sub tragedy
The world watched as a massive search and rescue operation launched to find a submarine that went missing during its descent toward the wreckage of the Titanic in June.
All five people onboard the sub — OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, billionaire Hamish Harding, Titanic expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet and businessman Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son Suleman — died June 18 when the vessel suffered a "catastrophic" implosion, officials said after the debris was found June 22.
TITAN SUB SEARCH TEAM LEADER CHOKES UP RECOUNTING EFFORT, REALIZING WHEN RESCUE HAD ‘TURNED INTO A RECOVERY’
‘Barbenheimer’
The "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer" films created a viral craze known as "Barbenheimer" that saw fans run to the movies in droves to watch the movies as a double feature. (Melinda Sue Gordon/Universal Pictures via AP/Warner Bros. Pictures)
Two of 2023’s blockbuster movies created an explosive meme blending "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer." The movies, with a stark difference in theme and tone, were released the same weekend over the summer. A Reddit user used AI to splice together a mashup of the two that created "a pink mushroom cloud of viral content," according to Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson.
Trump booked at Fulton County jail
Former President Donald Trump's mugshot is taken after he was booked on a handful of charges, making him the first former U.S. president in history to face criminal charges. (Courtesy: Fulton County Sheriff's Office)
Former President Donald Trump turned himself in at the Fulton County jail Aug. 24. Trump, who was required to have a mugshot taken, was booked on numerous charges from a probe into his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election in Georgia. He is the first former president in United States history to face criminal charges.
DONALD TRUMP MUGSHOT RELEASED AFTER GEORGIA BOOKING, FIRST EVER FOR A FORMER US PRESIDENT
Chiefs, Nuggets, Rangers, Knights win it all
America’s love of sports raged in 2023, but nowhere more than in the nation’s title towns. The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl. The Denver Nuggets won their first NBA championship, defeating the Miami Heat.
The Texas Rangers also won their first championship, beating the Arizona Diamondbacks in five games in the World Series. In hockey, the Las Vegas Golden Knights beat the Florida Panthers in five games to hoist the Stanley Cup.
McCarthy out, Johnson in
Louisiana Rep. Mike Johnson was elected speaker of the House after weeks of chaos on Capitol Hill. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
McCarthy was ousted Oct. 3, resulting in chaos on Capitol Hill with a three-week struggle to elect a new speaker. When the dust cleared, Rep. Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, held the gavel.
The son of a firefighter, Johnson was elected to Congress in 2016. McCarthy announced his resignation from his congressional seat in California two months after his historic ouster.
AFTER HOUSE SPEAKER GETS OUSTED, SOME AMERICANS SAY DEMOCRACY IS AT RISK: ‘RADICALS MORE AND MORE IN CHARGE’
War in Gaza
Terror attacks against Israel Oct. 7 triggered a war against the Hamas terrorists responsible. As many as 1,200 people were massacred, with some 240 hostages taken. In the weeks since, Israeli forces have bombarded the Gaza Strip with an air and ground offensive.
The war has killed over 13,300 Palestinians and Hamas terrorists, and much of northern Gaza is in ruin, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry.
Taylor Swift and the NFL
The NFL saw a huge spike in viewers after Taylor Swift started attending Kansas City Chiefs games to watch her new beau, Travis Kelce. (Getty Images)
Taylor Swift shocked fans with the revelation she is dating Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. Now a frequent attendee at Chiefs games, the pop icon has made the NFL must-see television for Swiftie nation.
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The world-renowned pop star was selected as Time magazine's 2023 Person of the Year in December after her hugely popular Eras Tour shut down Ticketmaster from an overwhelming number of fans trying to purchase tickets. The tour has already made over $1 billion, breaking records to become the highest-grossing tour of all time and helping Swift earn her billionaire status in October.
Click here for 2023 coverage from Fox News' Digital Originals.
Ramiro Vargas and Isabelle McDonnell contributed to the accompanying video. Peter Kasperowicz, Brie Stimson and Brooke Singman contributed to this report.
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